BJP workers in Surat resign en masse from party

In a move seen as a fall-out of BJP's decision to serve notices to senior leader Keshubhai Patel and MP Kashiram Rana, several members of the local BJP unit on Saturday resigned en masse from the party.

Several of the "unhappy" BJP workers and local leaders reached the party office at Rustompura and submitted their resignations to BJP Surat city President Pravin Naik.

"About 1,500 BJP workers, including 19 ex-Corporators and Mayors, have resigned from the party," said Dhirubhai Mangrolia, convenor of Sardar Patel Utkarsh Samiti, the umbrella organisation of BJP rebels.

Reacting to the resignations, Naik claimed "most of those who submitted their resignations are not active BJP workers".

He, however, did not say how many workers had quit the party, a day before the counting of votes.

These resignations came a day after BJP high-command issued notices to Patel and Rana and suspended two other leaders, Vallabh Kathiria and Somabhai Patel - "for hurting the party's interests" during the Gujarat elections.

Earlier, before submitting his resignation, one of the local BJP leaders and ex-Mayor of Surat Fakirbhai Chauhan, alleged the BJP's leadership in New Delhi did not realise the implications of its decision to issue notices to Patel and Rana.